MacroPhotography
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Adaptalux is a modular lighting system for macro photography
Every now and then, there are projects on Kickstarter designed for a niche group of people. Adaptalux is one of those: it's a modular, flexible and nearly pocket-sized lighting studio for macro photography and videography. The team behind Adaptalux claims that the system is capable of creating an infinite amount of illumination environments, thanks to an interchangeable design that users can customize based on their needs. For example, the Control Pod lets you choose the amount of light sources (up to five) and the color of them, as well as control the beam angle for each. And, much like the familiar gooseneck desk lamps, Adaptalux's lighting arms can be bent and twisted almost any way you want.
Hardware photography contest unearths a treasure trove of geeky creativity
Who'd have thunk it, setting geeks loose with their cameras can actually produce some outstanding results. A recent photography contest held by the Tech Report fellas has come up with a wideranging selection of ultra-geeky imagery; whether you want humorous compositions like the metallic soap opera above, arty monochromatic mood shots, or intimate closeups of classic chips, it's all in there. Our personal favorite has to be the dramatic interplay between a desperate Ethernet card and a CAT5 cable -- you can see it after the break, but we recommend feasting your eyes on the full set at the source link.
iPhone photo news: tripods and water drop lenses
The iPhone has made photography fun for me again. I frankly hated the cameras I had in some of my other, older phones, and I don't like carrying around my big Canon digicam all the time, so having a fairly capable camera in my pocket has opened up my photo-taking horizons again. When I got the 3GS this summer, one of my first tests was to take some macro pictures using the camera. Sure, the 3GS is better at macro photos than the original or 3G models, but it still isn't a "real" macro camera. What if I wanted to take close up pictures of a tiny insect or a detail of a flower stamen? The Apple Press has a great little tutorial today on how to take better macro photos with the iPhone using alternative lenses. I'll leave reading the post as an exercise for our readers, but let it suffice to say that you can do a lot of really cool macro shots with an iPhone by putting a small drop of water onto the lens. The Apple Press also provides a link to Amazon for an inexpensive magnifier that can fit in your wallet, perfect for those who are a bit queasy about putting even a drop of agua on their iPhones.Meanwhile, the geniuses at Mobile Mechatronics are now selling an inexpensive product designed to help you take better photos with your iPhone. The Blur Tripod ($US14.99) consists of an iPhone tripod adapter, a mini tripod, and an upcoming companion app called Blur Software that provides an adjustable delay to your iPhotography so that all vibrations in the iPhone / tripod combo are damped out before the photo is snapped. The app is going through the labyrinthine approval process right now, and will hopefully be approved by Apple in the near future. In the meantime, I'm going to go out and take some more pictures and video with my iPhone. What's your biggest wish for iPhone photography? A telephoto lens? A flash? Leave your comments below.
